More Tips from the Dentist

Stephen Wilson, Director of the Division of Pediatric Dentistry, offers wisdom to parents:

On when to start flossing: There are five surfaces of the tooth and a toothbrush only gets to three, the top and tongue and cheek sides. It’s the sides between the teeth that need flossing. If the teeth are touching, you should be flossing, so that could be by two or three years of age.

Getting a child to be comfortable in a dentist’s chair: I always have the dental light at their chest when I first turn it on and then I slowly move it up to the chin. But I never shine it in their eyes. I say, ‘pretend you are watching an airplane and look up at the sky.’ That way the light doesn’t scare them. I talk them through it.

On the rotating tooth polisher with the high-pitched whiny sound: I tell them it’s just a toothbrush that’s round, and it tickles.

On “candy-like” toothpastes that some kids prefer: The level of fluoride is the key, that’s the active ingredient. Otherwise there is no real difference. Manufacturers of toothpaste have figured out flavorings, so if you need to use those, that’s fine.